COLLINSVILLE, Ill. (OCTOBER 5, 2020) – Ameren Illinois’ commitment to safety and weather preparedness has earned the energy company recognition from the National Weather Service (NWS) as a Weather-Ready Nation “Ambassador of Excellence."
Each year, representatives from the NWS review the 11,000-plus Weather-Ready Nation Ambassadors – government, non-profit, education, and private enterprises who commit to help improve the nation's readiness against extreme weather and climate events. Fewer than 100 organizations are accorded the "Excellence" distinction for exceptional performance. Chris Miller, a Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service based in Lincoln, nominated Ameren Illinois for the recognition this year.
"Ameren Illinois has gone above and beyond to prepare its customers, stakeholders, and employees for severe weather events," Miller said. "Their disciplined, process-focused culture embodies everything it means to be 'weather-ready'."
In his nomination, Miller credited Ameren Illinois for its use of observational and forecast weather data from both a Weather Enterprise vendor and the NWS to monitor hazardous weather conditions in their Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
"Ameren Illinois uses NWS and Weather Enterprise forecast information to adopt a "threat level" and protective posture," said Miller. "By proactively issuing Advisories and Alerts, operations teams can move restoration equipment to high impact areas, assess storm damage quickly, and minimize the length of electrical outages. They have performed well in severe storm, high wind and ice storm events since 2016."
This is the first time Ameren Illinois has earned the “Ambassador of Excellence” honor.
"We have worked diligently to improve how we proactively prepare for hazardous weather to reduce the impact of outages to our customers," said Rick Welton, Senior Director of Distribution Planning Operations and Emergency Operations Center for Ameren Illinois. "The first step in that process is a detailed understanding where and when storms will impact our 43,700-square-mile territory. Being weather-ready enables us to respond faster and more efficiently to events that may impact service to our 1.2 million customers."
About Ameren Illinois
Ameren Illinois delivers energy to 1.2 million electric and 816,000 natural gas customers throughout central and southern Illinois. Our service territory covers more than 1,200 communities and 43,700 square miles. Our mission is to power the quality of life. For more information, visit AmerenIllinois.com. Follow us on Twitter @AmerenIllinois and Facebook.